Montpellier

We had a very early start. Too early for my liking! I walked to the fountain at 6.30 am still feeling half asleep to meet Grace and Liz at 6.40. Grace was late as usual so I was slightly panicking that we’d miss the train. Grace’s watch is late and my watch is early we’re always blaming each other for having the wrong time. It’s only since being here and around Grace and liz’s calm attitude to every thing that I’ve realised that I’m actually a bit neurotic and worry about small things. Big things I’m still quite laid back about, which doesn’t really make sense. So we carted our over packed to the brim bags up the hill towards the station, where Hannah would be waiting for us. Hannah, Liz and I decided to bring our guitars with us. The laundrettes on tour! Since playing the guitar in the laundrette, we discovered that one of the photos I took looks like a video shoot so ‘laundrettes’ seemed like a suitable name. So far we only really have one song under the belt! Wagon wheel!

Right enough rambling. Our train to Paris was 7.10. Thankfully we didn’t miss. We all sat there falling asleep to our ipods for two hours until we arrived in Paris. We bought a carnet and jumped on the metro to on other metro stop to get the train that would take 4 hours to our destination: Montpellier. So after a pretty non eventful journey we tried to find Laura, who had said she’d meet us at the station. While waiting for her to arrive where she said she’d come and find us, we had an American and Irish teaching assistances ask us what we were near and where we’d recommend seeing in Montpellier. We explained that we had no idea but our friend who lives hear would be along any minute. Laura arrived looking summery as ever. It was quite a warm day but as usual all the French were dressed up as though it was the middle of winter, scarves, coats the whole nine yards. That’s one thing English in us that will never change. When there’s sun, you take advantage of it and strip off! We sun cream of course. Laura helped our new friends out with directions and we were on our way.

The walk to Laura’s seemed like forever! Most probably because we were carting guitars, the same bags we had taken to Rouen to last us 3 months and almost as many clothes.
We dropped our bags off at Laura’s house and were assigned our beds. I slept in Laura’s gigantic bed with her, which I’m sure she regretted when the next day she told me I was almost on top of her in the middle of the night. Sorry Laura! Hannah, Grace and Liz were in the living room on the sofas which were actually more like beds. So we unpacked a little and then decided to take advantage of the glorious sun! This day was mostly spent in café’s we went grocery shopping to. It was really nice to live like tourists. It’s funny we all didn’t mind standing out as English at all but in Rouen we want to seem French or at least fit in a bit.

Right so Grace and Liz in the hopes of losing weight and de-toxing decided to live on a diet of grapes and rice for a week. The rules were quite strange so because they allowed them selves any drinks so for instance we’d be in a café giving hot chocolate and Grace would put the chocolate on the side into her drink and be like ‘I’m not breaking the rules!’ They also allowed themselves soya source on the rice. They did brilliantly though and didn’t break it once even when feeling weak and tired.
Laura, Hannah and I went all out in the supermarket but were still healthy. Strangely enough if split the bill we only ended up spending a little more than them. I guess juices and rice are expensive.

Laura had arranged for us to go over to a gathering of an assistant teacher friend of hers. This was very enjoyable if not a little surreal. I kept saying I didn’t know what country I was in. All of a sudden there were English, Scottish, Australians, Americans, New Zealanders, in the room. Other than visitors, the only English people I’ve spoke to for 9 weeks has been Grace, Liz and Hannah. After asking lots of questions about being a teaching assistant, talking to the Amercan’s about America and being at summer camp, explaining our degree and what we were doing here, we all went out to an Australian bar/club.

Wednesday
We’d looked at the weather fore cast before coming and according to the weather man this was to be the hottest day of the week so….we decided to go to the beach! Laura’s friend from Nottingham is doing teaching assistant year in Lisle and she came to see Laura and Montpellier and brought 7 friends with her. The night before we’d arranged to meet at 10 Oclock the next day and cycle to the beach. We all rented bikes for a bargain price of 2 euros and Laura lead the way to beach. We began cycling along the tracks of tram line, which seemed like a good idea until a tram was heading at us from both directions and in a panic, Grace got her bike caught in the tracks! It took 1 hour and ½ in total to get there. While it seemed warm on the way there as we were exercising so the wind didn’t bother us, when we actually go there and were lying on the beach, we were freezing! At first Grace and Laura’s friend Lauren were hopeful and had their bikinis on but soon our jumpers and scarves weren’t enough to protect us from the cold so we decided to go in the one of the cafes’ near by for some hot chocolate but…they didn’t have any left! So I had tea. Soon after this we all climbed back on to our bikes and prepared our selves for the long journey home. It was actually sunny again! It was just really cold as we were by the sea. We arrived home at about 6, quickly had showers and then Hannah, Laura and I went out to meet Lauren and her friends at a fondu restaurant. Grace and Liz couldn’t come because the chances of there being grapes and rice there were quite slim and it would be too much torture watching us eat yummy cheese. Speaking of which I was set the challenge of giving us cheese for a week as I’m so addicted it. When there was mention of going to a fondu restaurant, I decided to take on the challenge next week when away from temptation.

The restaurant was great! A pot of hot cheese, brad to dip in it, Potato to dip in it: heaven! Also the wine was given to us in baby’s bottles, which was cool but strange! It affected us bizarrely quickly. In the deal was also an aperitif and ice cream for dessert. It was 17 euros and worth cent. We went on to a pub after this. I was feeling full all night!

Thursay
Rain rain go way! We didn’t leave the house. It did not stop raining. We watched sex and the city and random things on U tube. Laura has the internet at the house which is a bit novelty!

Friday
The weather was still pretty miserable but we wanted to get out the house. So we went shopping. We also did some more sitting in cafes acting French. We rented a film that evening called Paris je t’aime. It had 18 different stories put together, each with a different director. Tres bien

Saturday
Today was to be the only other day with ok weather so originally we watched to cycle to the beach again. When stepping outside, towels in hand the weather was not so promising. We decided to rent bikes anyway and rode to the river for a picnic. Grace stripped off into her bikini again and we got ‘Crazy girls!’ looks from passers by. That evening we watched another French film. This one was about Erasmus students in Barcelona. The English character didn’t not come across so well or represent us well as she cheated on her boyfriend and had a rude and offensive, drunk for a brother. It was a good film though.

Sunday
I thought it was about time we had some culture so persuaded everyone to go to the art gallery in the museum. Most of the paintings were from the 16th century. I did quite a lot of analysing and deconstructing which sentences like there’s a skull in this painting, I think the artist is hinting at death. Stating the obvious just a little. I enjoyed the exhibition and did get a lot out of it.

Monday
Last day. Laura was the perfect hostess all week, I forgot to say. Always cooking us lovely meals and the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had in my life! We were going to rent bikes again but decided against it as we were all pretty tired. Instead we had a picnic on some grass about 5 minutes from the river. Liz and I brought our guitars. We were all a large area of grass but some reason these 3 little children decided to play ball right next to us. After a while we realised it was being they wanted attention. First of all they asked us to take a photo, then they wanted to play our guitars to which Laura quickly said no and then they ran over to they’re bikes brought out a guitar and the oldest girl who was about 11, decided to show us up and started playing guitar a lot better than us. It began to feel like a competition. At this point they were so close they were almost on top of us. They were dropping English singer names left right and centre. They were quite sweet actually if not a little annoying. Near by there was what looked like man and his girl friend? He was juggling away trying to wow the crowd but our little fans were having none of it had their eyes fixed on us!

That evening we went out to a Japanese restaurant with Laura’s friend Christine, an American exchange student. It was lovely. Grace and Liz had finished their diet too so they could finally eat!